The Foundling Museum

London Pass Benefits: Access to the Foundling Museum with a London Pass
Extras: Pass holders may also purchase the Foundling guide book for the special price of £3.00 - usually £6.95 Normally £11.00 - Included with London Pass

Exploring the history of the UK’s first children’s charity, the Foundling Museum is a unique and specialist museum dedicated to a fascinating aspect of London’s social history.

The Foundling Museum tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, established in the 18th century to care for babies at risk of abandonment and which housed around 25,000 children before its closure. Alongside works of art, objects and archive documents that reveal the story of the Hospital, discover a diverse programme of exhibitions, displays and events that offer different ways of engaging with its history.

One of its early supporters, William Hogarth, encouraged leading artists of his day to donate works of art to line the walls of the Hospital, which in turn attracted visitors making the Hospital one of the most fashionable places to visit. In effect, he created thefirst public art gallery in London. Visitors were so moved by the mission of the institution and the sight of the children that many were compelled to donate money to the Hospital.

As a result of Hogarth’s initiative, the museum now houses works by artists such as Gainsborough and Hogarth himself. The Foundling Museum is located opposite Brunswick Square, close to the original site of the Foundling Hospital, and near Russell Square Underground station. Because of its subject, it is one of the most child-friendly London museums and is close by to Coram’s Fields, one of the biggest children’s parks in London.

There are often art workshops and learning events for children at the museum, though it is advisable to ring ahead to check the availability of these events.

Current Exhibitions

Bedrooms of London (8 February – 5 May 2019)The damaging consequences for children arising from the shortage of social housing in London are laid bare in Bedrooms of London, a photo-documentary exhibition at London’s Foundling Museum, created by London’s child poverty charity The Childhood Trust in partnership with GOOD Agency. Presenting a new body of work by photographer Katie Wilson focusing on the spaces in which children are sleeping, the exhibition offers a poignant insight into the lives of children living in poverty across London. For more information, click here.

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